So you want to begin a career in healthcare, but you don’t know where to start. This ten-step guide will help you find your way through the maze of specialties, exams, and prerequisites. Whether you are looking for your first job or your fifth, AllHealthcare’s Ten Step Guide will lead you along your journey toward a rewarding career as a healthcare professional. Step 1: Learn About Healthcare Careers Healthcare: It’s the best What other industry lets you tend to the sick, work out with the well, look after with newborn babies, or run a hospital? In healthcare, you can go high tech (be a biotech all-star), low tech (be a dental hygienist) or no tech. Go high touch (as a physical therapist) or high res (as a med tech). There is a plethora of directions to choose from. Practitioner Careers Practitioners are technical, hands-on careers that involve intense schooling and lots of patient contact. These individuals tend to make the most money, and have letters like M.D. and D.D.S after their names. A career as a healthcare practitioner is best for someone who like to be around people, isn’t scared off by 7-10 years of school, and cares intensely about the welfare of others. Roughly 5% of healthcare professionals work in the practitioner field. Practitioner careers include dentists, occupational therapists, surgeons, and internists. Allied Health Careers Allied health careers are the backbone of the health system. Allied health professionals assist healthcare practitioners in day-to-day business, as well as heading-up patient care. A career in allied health often involves less school, but it gives you a solid basis for job growth if you decide to return to school to further your career. 19% of healthcare careers are allied health professionals. Common allied health careers include medical assistant, EMT/paramedic, home health aide, and cardiovascular technologist. Supportive Careers Healthcare supportive careers are those aides and assistants who work alongside their more experienced counterparts. Supportive careers are an important part of the healthcare system. They often get to know patients on the most personal level because they have the ability to spend more time with them, particularly through rehabilitation processes. A career in supportive health can usually be achieved with an associates degree. Support careers include occupational therapist aide, dental assistant, pharmacy aide, and medical transcriptionist. Managerial Careers A healthcare managerial career is best for someone who does not want to work directly with patients, but still wants to work in the healthcare system. Many hospitals want their healthcare administrators to hold a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree, but their are managerial positions that do not require as much schooling, such as administrative assistants. If you are organized and good at multi-tasking, a healthcare managerial career may be for you. 18% of healthcare careers are office and administrative support, and 4% are management, business, and financial positions. Common positions include healthcare administrator and medical and health services manager. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Step 2: Choose the Right Path Two years, four years…10 years! Healthcare is the largest industry in the United States, so there are more than a few choices when it comes to a career in healthcare. Eight of the ten fastest growing jobs are in healthcare, meaning that healthcare professionals are in demand all over the country. Whether you want to be a surgeon or psychiatric aide, or you want to live in Massachusetts or Minnesota, there are some things to consider… Where Do You Live (Or Where Do You Want to Live)? There is a shortage of healthcare workers all over the country, but some places are more in need of specific kinds of professionals. To find out where you might be needed, or see what your city needs, check out Big Cities, Big Bucks: Biggest Employers in America’s Top Cities. How Much Do You Want to Make? There is a wide range of salaries when it comes to working as a healthcare professional. Use your helpful salary calculator to find out how much you can make in the career you are interested in. How Long Do You Want to Go To School? Whether you were a professional academic in another life, or just the thought if two-hour lectures makes you doze off, the schooling for a healthcare professional can accommodate any personality. Check out some of the careers you can pursue with various academic degrees. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Step 3: Take the Prerequisites Before you apply to school, you will need to make sure you have all your ducks in a row when it comes to your pre-requisites, application, and recommendations. Make sure you have thoroughly researched the programs you are interested in applying to, being sure you have (or will) fulfill all of their requirements by the application deadline (don’t forget the deadline either!). Explore the Prerequisites If the prerequisites you need are not offered at your current school, you can look for the classes at your local community college or an online school. If you are not currently in school, this is also your best bet because is it usually less expensive and less time consuming. The prerequisites will vary depending on the program you are headed toward, but you can almost always count on taking: - English Composition - Statistics - Biology - Chemistry - Physics - Anatomy and Physiology - Microbiology Application Assistance Maximizing Your Application Common College Application Mistakes Recommendations Letters of Recommendation for Your College Application The Dos and Don’ts of Requesting College Recommendations -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Step 4: Find the Right School There are a variety of questions you should ask when trying to determine which type of healthcare schools to attend. There are programs in the largest universities as well as the smallest community colleges. Your first step, however, should be to decide whether you want to go for an associate’s degree or a bachelor’s degree. Community colleges typically offer associate’s degrees and are a good value if you are trying not to spend too much money. The advantage of getting an associate’s degree is that it doesn’t take as long as a bachelor’s and it requires fewer prerequisites. However, there are many positions that require a bachelor’s degree for advancement, so it may be advisable to get the four-year degree when you can. On the other hand, if you get a two-year degree to begin with, you can always go back to school later if needed. College/University - Best for: Bachelor’s Degree, Master’s Degree, PhD - Pros: prestige, diversity in available classes, housing and healthcare often covered in tutition (if you are living in the dorms), large community - Cons: more expensive, harder to work full time and go to school full time, large community Community College/Junior College - Best for: Associate Degree, Certification Programs - Pros: less expensive, evening and weekend classes mean more flexibility, small community - Cons: less diverse class offerings, small community Technical/Vocational College - Best for: Associate Degree, Certification Programs - Pros: less expensive, less time-consuming, night and weekend classes - Cons: less diverse class offerings, small community Online College - Best for: Associate Degree, Bachelor’s Degree - Pros: less expensive, flexible schedule, available anywhere you have an internet connection - Cons: less personal experience, no real classroom, less diverse class offerings Find the Right School Use All Healthcare’s School Finder to start looking for the right school for you! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Step 5: Get Into a Healthcare Degree Program With a shortage of healthcare professionals comes a shortage of healthcare professors. This means that the already-competitive process for getting into healthcare school is getting even more cutthroat. While you are getting ready to apply for school, keep these things in mind: Grades Make sure you keep your grades up to speed, as this will help you in the long run. The prerequisites can be difficult, but when you get into your degree program, school becomes that much more challenging. Master the art of getting good grades now, and healthcare classes later will be that much easier for you. You can always look to AllHealthCare for study guides and tips, and you can use our discussion area to ask seasoned veterans and students for some good studying and test-taking strategies. What to Do If Your Academic Performance Drops Essay Writing Tips Write a Great College Admissions Essay Essay Tip: Telling the Story Essay Tip: Writing for the Judges Recommendations The Dos and Don’ts of Requesting College Recommendations Letters of Recommendation for Your College Application Experience Are You Experienced? extracurricular Activities As Career Prep Mentors In the Market for a Mentor -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Step 6: Survive School You’ve gotten through your prerequisites and you’ve gotten accepted to the healthcare school of your choice. Congratulations! Now comes the hard part. Remember how challenging your anatomy and physiology course was? Now you have to deal with pathophysiology and pharmacology. Or perhaps you’re in health administration, struggling with your statistical methodology course. Whatever your field, this is when the heaving lifting begins. So buck up. You can do this. Study Tips Seven Great Study Habits and Time Management Tips Academic Adjustments Student Life College Tips for Nontraditional Students Returning Students: Finish Your Undergraduate Degree Don’t Quit Your Day Job – Study Part Time Clinicals Many healthcare programs in patient care or medical imaging professions include clinicals. Clinicals are what really get you ready for working in real-life healthcare setting. During clinicals, you will spend time working side by side with actual healthcare workers, so you can get a feel for what it is they actually do. Many healthcare students worry about whether or not they are getting enough clinical skills. These days, many schools are using clinical simulation labs to teach patient-care skills. In the lab, students can practice their skills on mannequins that have been specially designed to simulate actual medical conditions. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Step 7: Decide on a Specialty Many healthcare professions divide into more focused specialties, while others do not. During your education, you may be introduced to various specializations, so you can broaden your knowledge of the opportunities in your field. As time goes by, you will meet more and more working professionals who can also share their specializations with you. Each healthcare profession may have any number of specialty areas. In school, you will likely get a chance to dabble in a few of the available specialties in your degree program. Pay attention to whether or not you liked that particular class. If you didn’t enjoy the class, you will more than likely not enjoy that specialty as a career. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Step 8: Pass the Licensing Exam Before you can begin practicing, many healthcare professions require that you pass a licensing examination. States may also have their own exams you must pass in order to practice in that state. Some of the most common exams are: - United State Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) - National Council Licensure Examination-Registered Nurse (NCLEX-RN) - National Council Licensure Examination-Practical Nursing (NCLEX-PN) - National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) There are also many certification exams that you may or may not be required to take in order to pursue your desired career. For more information on professional exams, please visit the following sites: United States Medical Licensing Examination: Professional exam for physicians The Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy: Physical therapist licensing organization National Council of State Boards of Nursing: Governing body administering the NCLEX-RN and the NCLEX-PN National Healthcareer Association: the Largest Allied Healthcare Certification Agency Study Guides Each exam has study guides that you can purchase. These often come with numerous practice tests and a CD-ROM to help you study. Along with learning the information you will be tested on, it is equally as important to learn how to take the test. Practice all the various kinds of multiple choice questions so that when you come across them on exam day, you will not have to spend a lot of time deciphering what you are being asked to do. Student Lounge Visit AllHealthcare’s Student Lounge Discussion Forum to network with others who are studying for their licensing exams. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Step 9: Get Hired You’ve made it through school. You’ve passed your licensing exam. Now it’s time to start the hunt for the perfect job. Before you can embark on this leg of your journey, you will need to be prepared with a sharp resume and professional interview skills. Decide what you want before accepting or declining an offer, and remember, you can almost always negotiate for better benefits. Resume Tips Healthcare Resume Tips Interview Advice Interview Prep for New Grads Three Steps to a Successful Interview The Job Offer Evaluate a Job Offer Is This the Right Job for Me? Make Smarter Counteroffers Five Salary Negotiation No-Nos -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Step 10: Make it Through Your First Year What happens after you get hired? How do you make a success of yourself? The first year on the job is often the toughest for new healthcare graduates, especially those who work in hospitals. You’ll face your greatest professional challenges and a steep learning curve that no amount of time in the classroom can really prepare you for. You have to live it to become a pro. By the end of the first year, you’ll have a much better feeling for the job and more confidence in your strengths. You’ll also know more about areas in which you might have weaknesses that you can address through more education, special workshops, or professional training. But you will have made an incredible journey, from just thinking about getting into healthcare to actually living, working, and breathing your new career and all that the process of knowledge entitles you to enjoy – new friends, a decent salary, and a feeling of purpose and accomplishment. It’s your future, calling. Source
